Category Decor

Combined living room with open kitchen dream of many homeowners and it is not surprising – in such a space the whole family can gather and here you can meet guests.

In this article, I will talk about how to properly plan the living room-kitchen and how to avoid frequent mistakes. How to make the living room-kitchen ergonomic and organize several functional zones in it.

Legitimate unification

Often the area of the kitchen in apartment buildings is insufficient and the question of increasing the space arises. Before making a remodel, you need to make sure that the remodeling is legal.

You can increase the kitchen by joining non-residential part of the apartment (pantry, corridor).

In some cases, you can combine the kitchen with the next room, but here it is important to respect the conditions.

You can combine the kitchen with a room, provided that there are at least two rooms in the apartment, and one of them remains isolated. It is necessary so that the apartment has a living area (after combining with the kitchen, the room will not be considered a living area). For example, such a merger in a one-room apartment will not agree.

It will be also difficult to agree to unite in a gasified apartment. According to the regulations it is not allowed to have sleeping quarters in rooms with gas equipment.

It is strictly forbidden to increase the kitchen area by attaching the toilet – such redevelopment will be immediately rejected.

No engineering errors

When the redevelopment is coordinated, then you can begin to plan the space.

The main mistake in the planning of the living room-kitchen is the transfer of engineering equipment. Let me explain: in order to ensure the operability of utilities, you should not move the kitchen far away – this will require the lengthening of pipes. There are no special problems with the water supply – the lines have high pressure, but there is a problem in the sewer line.

For sewage, it is important to arrange a slope so that the waste water would go into the house mains. If you move the sink far away, it will require a serious lifting of the sewer pipe and raise the floor level.

The slope of the sewer pipe must be at least 4″, otherwise sewage can remain and provoke breakdowns.

It is important to pay special attention to ventilation in a combined living room-kitchen.

Plan in advance for additional air intake points – this is important to ensure that exhaust air is removed, and to prevent odors from spreading throughout the space.

Of course, installing new air intake points will require lower ceilings, but it is a worthwhile decision. The ceilings will be 5-7 cm lower relative to the upper floor slab.

Zoning the space

In the kitchen, ergonomics is important, and in the living room, comfort and convenience, so we will have to look for the best placement of furniture and equipment.

According to the regulations, it is unacceptable to move the sink to the added area – it must remain within the original kitchen. Therefore, the most rational solution is to arrange the kitchen area in the old place, and on the added area organize a dining and seating area.

Picture the furniture on the plan and divide it into conditional zones: here is the cooking area, here is food storage, there is the dining area, and there is a place to relax with a sofa and a TV.

All these zones should not overlap and there should be no overlap. Each part of the living room-kitchen should work independently: the person in the kitchen should not interfere with those watching TV by the sofa or those who dine.

Proper zoning is when the functional zones are autonomous, but united in meaning and style.

Ergonomics

When combining multiple functional areas, it’s important to follow ergonomic standards.

Pay special attention to the placement of kitchen equipment and do not settle for half-measures. There should always be a working part of the countertop, as it is not convenient to cook on the dining table. If space is scarce, then use a serving table or arrange a folding tabletop.

Stylistics

In order to maintain a sense of space, I recommend sticking to a unified style in the interior. The kitchen-living room should not have many accents – it should make a unified impression.

Hide the kitchen cabinets by using local color – so the kitchen set will not stand out and will not turn the space into a “kitchen with a couch”.

Lighting Scenarios

The role of lighting should not be underestimated – with competent lighting you can emphasize zoning, and you can spoil everything.

Each functional area should be endowed with its own lighting. In a living room-kitchen there should be several lighting scenarios, in addition there should be a general technical light in case of different incidents.

Technical light will evenly illuminate the entire space – this is necessary for cleaning, but no more. In each area provide its own light scenario: dim light from the floor lamp in the living room, chandeliers over the dining table, work lights in the kitchen and general light.

The inclusion of light should be independent, for example, if you are resting, then turn on the light only in the living room area, and leave the other parts in a pleasant semi-darkness.

In this article I will tell you how to plan your future kitchen yourself, what you need to pay attention to when planning, as well as tell you what materials to order the kitchen, so it would be stylish and relatively inexpensive. The article will be useful to those who are planning to order the kitchen by themselves without a designer. Let’s go

During the repair of the apartment, many people sooner or later ask a common question: “how to plan their kitchen, from what materials to order it and where to buy it?”

In fact, there are a lot more questions in the mind of customers, but today I’ll share tips that will help you to plan the kitchen yourself in advance, as well as help to decide on the kitchen materials based on your budget, so that the purchase of the kitchen will not “eat up” half of the planned budget for the entire renovation.

Buying a new kitchen unit is one of the most expensive furniture purchases, so in order not to overpay and save your budget, you should first of all start with planning the kitchen.

In fact, everything is not as difficult as it may seem at first glance, and by the end of this article you will see for yourself.

List of all necessary appliances

In order to plan the kitchen yourself, first of all we need to write out a list of all the necessary appliances for us. The fact is, not everyone uses dishwashers, double-barrel refrigerators, choppers and other appliances, so making a personalized list ahead of time is very important.

A common list of appliances:

• Refrigerator;
• Cooktop;
• Oven;
• Oven;
• Microwave oven;
• Dishwasher.

Room layout

Of course, everyone has a completely different layout, so there is no single pattern on which you can plan the kitchen, but in order to make it simple and understandable to you, I’ll show you all the steps on one example, based on which you can repeat all this yourself.

After we have written out a list of all the appliances we need, we need to arrange the furniture in the room. To do this we simply take a tape measure, measure our kitchen and transfer all the dimensions to the printed layout, there is absolutely nothing complicated about it.

If, for whatever reason, there is no layout in the apartment, then simply draw with a ruler and pencil to plan the kitchen on a simple sheet of paper in scale. You can take, for example, 1 square cell in a notebook for 10 cm, so you will understand the scale even easier.

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Expose the boundaries of the modules.

Here everything is very simple. In most cases, the kitchen modules are used width 60cm and 45cm. For those who do not know what modules are, I will briefly explain, a kitchen module is a part of the kitchen set, divided by partitions of chipboard, of which in turn a kitchen is assembled.

On the printed or drawn out layout, we simply draw the boundaries of the proposed modules of the kitchen set. For simplicity, you can draw squares along the walls of 60×60 cm and if necessary apply modules of 45×45 cm.

Arrange the appliances that we wrote out earlier

Since the width of the refrigerator, sink, hob with 4 burners, oven, built-in microwave oven in most cases is 60 cm, we simply sign the household appliances in the resulting “squares”.

In case the kitchen is quite small, you can use the modules 45 by 45cm for a small sink, a dishwasher with a width of 45cm and a cooking surface with 2-3 burners.

Of course, to correctly arrange all the equipment at once most likely will not work, so it is better to print out several layouts for convenience.

A few simple tips:

• Before you “install” the sink, make sure whether it will be convenient for you to wash dishes. Don’t put the sink in the corner of the kitchen, or set it up close to the refrigerator and cooktop. Ideally there should be work surfaces on both sides of the sink. In this case, it will be much easier for us to put the food that needs to be washed on the left and stack the washed food on the right of the sink.
• The dishwasher is better to “set” in one straight line with the sink. In case we set the dishwasher through the corner, it will not be very convenient to use it. In the open position, we will block ourselves access to the sink.
• If the kitchen is small, you should not install the oven in the furniture “column”, that is, at a height of 850mm from the floor. In this case it is better to install it under the hob and give 60cm for the work surface.

Choosing the materials and style of the kitchen

Of course, everyone’s tastes are absolutely different and everyone will have their own ideal picture. In order to determine the style of the kitchen, we simply open many people’s favorite “Pinterest” and make a selection of those interior solutions that are close to you. Based on these selections, the kitchen manager will have a much easier time figuring out what fronts and colors to offer you.

Scandinavian style kitchens

If you are close to the Scandinavian style, the most successful will be the facades with panels, gray or white. The fronts themselves are worth choosing from MDF with enamel. Thanks to the enamel, we can choose the color that we like and that fits the general color scheme of our interior.

The most successful facade handles in this style will be exterior handles. It is this solution will be the most budget-friendly compared to the integrated handles, besides it is just convenient.

The tabletop should be chosen with imitation of wood, and the most budget-friendly and aesthetically advantageous option would be a plastic tabletop based on chipboard.

Modern kitchen style

If you are close to modern style, the most stylish solution would be a combination of monochrome facades and facades with wood grain. Monochrome facades can choose MDF with enamel, and facades with imitation wood, with a plastic coating.

Of course the facades with PVC film will be much cheaper, but in time the film can come off the base of the facade, so such facades I would not advise to use.

Tabletop you can also choose a plastic based on chipboard. In fact, plastic tabletop with a quality coating does not look cheap, especially if its edge is equal to 90 degrees. If the budget does not allow you to buy a quartz countertop, then do not worry that the kitchen will look cheap, this is not the case.

Kitchen handles can be considered profiled metal or milled from the façade itself. Such handles visually blend in with the facade and generally do not catch the eye, but it is quite convenient to use them, if of course you have a luxurious manicure.

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How to buy a kitchen?

In most cases, kitchen showrooms divide themselves into economy and premium segments. From my experience, I can say that the materials used in most cases, if not the same, then very similar.

For example, MDF fronts with enamel in a premium salon and a budget salon, in principle, will not differ. Therefore, if your budget is limited, then you should not pursue the brand and overpay, besides the kitchen is quite an expensive pleasure, even in the economy version.

Before you buy a kitchen, it is better to visit 2 or even 3 kitchen showrooms and get a proposal from each showroom on the price and timing of production. It is also worth clarifying the cost of assembling in advance, since this point not all managers sound out at the conclusion of the contract.

The cost of assembling the kitchen on average varies within 10% of the total cost of the kitchen, so this cost should also be considered when planning your budget.

Do not be shy to ask for a discount on the kitchen before buying. Many showrooms go out of their way to meet their customers, but if you do not ask for it, the likelihood that the manager himself will offer it is extremely small.

To plan a kitchen yourself is not as difficult as it may seem at first glance. You just need to take your time and not rush into buying it, especially if the budget is limited.

A chef’s kitchen design is a layout of a kitchen space that is designed for professional chefs. This type of design typically includes specialized appliances, storage systems, and workstations that are designed or customized specifically for the needs of a professional chef. The design of a chef’s kitchen is typically centered around efficiency and functionality, as well as providing a comfortable and organized workspace. The design of a chef’s kitchen often includes features such as oversized refrigerators and freezers, multiple ovens, walk-in pantries, a variety of cooking surfaces, and plenty of storage space for ingredients and cookware. In addition, many chefs prefer to have a large central island for prep work and additional storage space. A chef’s kitchen design is an important part of any professional chef’s workspace and should be tailored to their individual needs and preferences.

Before you begin your kitchen renovation, carefully consider how you use your current kitchen and determine your goals for the new makeover. That way, you can move in the right direction by making important decisions about room layout, appliance selection, kitchen furniture and other elements.

Double mode

As you know, two is always better than one! For serious cooks, this kitchen is equipped with two refrigerators, two sinks and two stoves, providing ample space for storage, cooking and cleaning. In addition, the entire space offers a wide variety of surfaces, including a baking area, cooking areas, and a place for utensils, where they can also act as decor.

Double kitchen “islands” are a double benefit!

This gourmet kitchen was designed with two islands: one is a professional cooking area and the other is for storage and cooking.

Five-star design

This custom-built kitchen, equipped with a stone kitchen island, state-of-the-art appliances and a professional hood, is a chefs’ dream. A faucet installed above the stove eliminates the problem of carrying heavy, water-filled pans across the kitchen.

Modern sophistication

This sleek kitchen provides modern chefs with professional appliances, durable granite countertops and a large kitchen island as extra workspace. Dual kitchen sinks are a handy feature for true chefs, one can be used for food prep while the other is used for cleaning.

Stylish kitchen surfaces

Materials are an important factor in designing a gourmet kitchen. These stainless steel countertops and the panel that protects the wall behind the sink are durable and very easy to clean, and the wood floors are very pleasant to the touch.

Heavy-duty features

The custom kitchen contains professional-grade appliances and concrete countertops that are heat-resistant and strong enough to withstand wear and heavy use.

Kitchen for Two

Designed for two cooks, this cozy kitchen features a double professional stove and huge cooking space.

Professional kitchen functionality

A first-class stainless steel stove adds restaurant quality to this kitchen, while yellow walls and red tile shield the space from feeling cold. Easy access to utensils is provided by the hanging counter.

Features

Professional cooktop. Chefs tend to prefer gas stoves, although some recommend induction cooktops, which heat faster and deliver heat directly from the source to the pan. There are also modular stoves with thick burners with pans and other “accessories.”

Double Oven. For foodies, two is better than one. And one of the stoves should be with convection, that is, have a fan that circulates hot air, so that the food is cooked evenly and efficiently.

Heat cabinet. The cost of such a cabinet can range from $700 to $2,000. This heat unit will protect the food from moisture and allow the cook to keep the dish warm until it is served. A heat cabinet keeps food warm for an extended period of time, avoiding the need to reheat it in a microwave oven (which tends to break down the molecular structure of food).

Dishwasher. Chefs might consider placing a single dishwasher next to the sink or entertainment area, filling the machine with dirty glassware, and as for the main dishwasher, it’s for pots, pans and regular dishes.

Convection microwave oven. Combined with a traditional stove, this microwave can be used both as your main reheating tool and as an efficient convection oven.

Recessed microwave oven. As an alternative to built-in and freestanding microwave ovens that take up quite a bit of space, a microwave drawer sits inside a regular kitchen cabinet

Refrigerator. Both free-standing and chic built-in refrigerators are available today. French-style refrigerators are attractive and give the cook access to both left and right sides, while requiring less cleaning. Freezers are convenient and ergonomic. A separate refrigerator and separate freezer are ideal, but modern refrigerators with dual compressors do both. (Mid-range, single-compressor units and economy refrigerators don’t properly store food, such as wet food, because the compressor needs to run faster.)

Easy-to-clean, durable surfaces. Quartz surfaces are man-made, require no insulation, and are less porous than natural stones such as granite, so they are less dirty and last longer. Available in a wide variety, they are produced by several major manufacturers. These products have a warranty (whereas natural stone products do not).

Lighting Purpose. Lights and chandeliers that focus light on specific work surfaces should illuminate the kitchen in areas where food is being prepared and cleaned.

Chef’s Kitchen

Hand-painted tiles on work surfaces and walls and bleached wood floors come together to create a functional and welcoming environment for real chefs. Stainless steel appliances and an open floor plan are the virtues of this kitchen.

High-end appliances for the kitchen

This kitchen is equipped with high-end appliances, including a double oven, heat cabinet, steamer and induction stove, all of which are a dream for any chef. Alder and hickory cabinets complement the cedar trim in this exquisite space.

Spacious kitchen countertops

This kitchen combines steel cabinets and frosted glass cabinets to visually relieve the abundant bamboo texture. There’s a microwave nook and a very attractive wine rack above the refrigerator. A louvered door in the far corner conveniently holds small appliances. Any chef would be happy to work in such a spacious kitchen.

Perfect for an assistant chef

This modern kitchen consists of mahogany cabinets, stainless steel appliances and a panel protecting the wall behind the painted glass sink with variable LED lighting.

Modern, stylish and functional

This kitchen has a soft, modern look with rich cherry cabinets, wood surfaces and a small surface above the island that stands on metal legs. There are also stainless steel kitchen appliances that provide beauty and functionality for both the chef and pastry chef.

Plenty of kitchen surfaces

This kitchen offers plenty of surfaces for chefs, including a baking area, a cooking area with an additional kitchen sink, a dish area, a breakfast area and a children’s banquet area.

Dreaming of remodeling an old kitchen or moving into a new home where you have to do everything from scratch? Then you need to decide on the style of the interior, finishing materials and appliances. Carry out kitchen planning by yourself without a designer – a good software will help to visualize the idea and think through the details. In this article, we will tell you how to make a kitchen design yourself for free in the program on the computer, mobile applications, as well as online services.

The best programs for designing a kitchen on the PC

On a computer or laptop it is most convenient to make projects, because in this case you will not depend on the speed of the Internet and site failures. In addition, computer software is more functional and powerful. Here we will consider the most popular.

Google Sketchup

A great program for creating a kitchen from Google, with which you can make a modern and stylish project. Google Sketchup is suitable for both professional designers and amateurs. It knows how to work with layers, which means you can edit elements of utilities separately from furniture or decoration.

Sketchup features:

• “smart” 3D modeling software;
• fine detailing – even the thickness of a kitchen countertop can be set;
• the ready styles from the library can be adjusted to “personalize” your own style.

AutoCad

Professional kitchen design software for engineers, architects and designers. Without special knowledge to make the project will not be easy, but the result will justify the effort invested. You can draw a kitchen from scratch or use pre-made figures in your work. To work in AutoCad, you will need RAM of 8 GB and a fast processor with a frequency of 2.5 GHz.

AutoCad features:

• development of 2D projects and 3D models using bodies, surfaces and grid objects;
• well-thought-out interface with floating windows;
• ability to connect to cloud storage;
• professional tools to create drawings;
• several users can work on the project.

Sweet Home 3D

A great solution how to make a kitchen design on your computer by yourself. The free Sweet Home 3D has a user-friendly interface that makes the work interesting and easy. While drawing your kitchen you will be able to see a three dimensional image at the same time in the top view mode.

The features of Sweet Home 3D:

• you can write your own plug-in that extends the program’s capabilities;
• the option “virtual visit”, which allows you to fully appreciate the design;
• the plan is supplemented with information about the area of the room, ceiling height, etc;
• there is a catalog of textures for surface design.

Home Plan Pro

Program for the design of the kitchen or the whole country house, which will be able to schematically indicate where the furniture, windows, doors and the like will be located. You can draw a rough draft in the editor in a few minutes. For new users, the software is free for a month.

Home Plan Pro features:

• project exports to DXF, PDF or popular raster formats;
• convenient printing – it is easy to adjust the scale of the plan to the size of the paper;
• a large collection of ready-made shapes – doors, windows, arches, and more;
• there is online help for working with the program.

FloorPlan 3D

You can also download FloorPlan 3D kitchen designer – a good solution for creating an uncomplicated design project. The program is not popular with professionals because of the small set of tools, but for home use is excellent. Quality graphics, user-friendly interface, saving drawings in a popular format – all this will help in the design of the kitchen of your dreams.

Features of FloorPlan 3D:

• more than 600 objects of furniture and decor in additional libraries;
• room design with different textures;
• layered design – for example, you can design a two-level ceiling in the kitchen;
• bill of materials with the ability to export to Excel.

DreamPlan

Free editor for interior and exterior design. Suitable for those who save space on the PC, because it weighs only 4 mb. In it you can use your own drawings made on paper. You take the scheme, load its scanned version into the editor, and the tracing mode translates 2D lines into three-dimensional format. You get the basis of the project, which only needs to be refined.

Features of DreamPlan:

• creating 3D design of rooms;
• viewing the project as a drawing, 3D model and 2D rendering;
• you can load the necessary colors and textures.

Home Designer

The software is based on professional architectural software technology from Chief Architect. In the process of drawing the walls, the editor designs a 3D model of the kitchen, and when a window or door is placed, they are automatically inserted, changing the design of the room. Each object in the catalog is added to the list of materials, which allows you to immediately calculate the cost of the project.

Home Designer features:

• saving panoramic images of the kitchen;
• there are ready-made kitchen projects that you can adapt for yourself by downloading the necessary cabinets, appliances, décor, etc. from the library;
• preparation of construction documents for printing;
• 80 video tutorials and 500+ articles with practical tips on how to design your own kitchen and design other rooms.

Autodesk 3ds Max

Software designed for professionals – architects, engineers, designers. The software is designed for creating 3D models as well as animated graphics. The main feature of the program is that you can create the most thoughtful design, where all the textures, lighting, rosettes.

Features Autodesk 3ds Max:

• working with splines – you can easily draw complex shapes, such as a curved bar;
• editing chamfers – edges and beveled parts on countertops, cabinets;
• finishing of materials and textures – adjustment of carving, gloss, etc;
• available effects and animations that make projects realistic.

A luxurious living room next to the pool or a gorgeous pergola, an outdoor kitchen area is now just as necessary… Modern homes are blurring the lines between the room and the world outside. This need to expand living space has led to a number of home design trends. 

It can be the completion of a fun and casual water feature or a fabulous rooftop terrace with amazing views. The culinary area will allow you to get a real vacation with family or friends in more style.

Functionality ahead of form

One of the main factors to consider when planning is functionality. Always remember that form only comes after practical value, and it doesn’t matter if it’s outdoors or in the house. If you can strike the perfect balance between both, that’s great!

But first think about where it will be located, how it should “work” together with the pool or terrace, living room or anything else in its surroundings. Remember, you’ll need the appliances depending on what style of cooking you’re using and what dishes you’re thinking of creating there.

If you’re not going to place large units, or only want to separate your indoor kitchen area from the outdoor area with glass sliding doors, a small and independent one is ideal.

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Find the Right Place for outdoor kitchen

When choosing a place for it, consider not only its own and the party area, but also try to have it in close proximity to the main kitchen. That way it will be easier to cook. Local weather conditions, sun, shade, and orientation of the house are also important so that nothing will interfere with your enjoyment of your party.

Stylish social center

The social center is important here, too, and it should encourage interaction and be a fun gathering place with loved ones. So instead of making the kitchen lonely, consider creating an epicenter for hanging out, a dining area with designer outdoor furniture where you can relax in a casual setting.

The distance between all of the above shouldn’t be long, because we don’t want isolated areas, but rather the opposite. Create an overall connection between them with textures, finishes, colors and a unified style.

Getting into the cool shade

Whether you like a simple wooden pergola attached to a residential building or a small cottage-style house, any idea will be terrific. Most modern apartments have balconies, and agree that if there is no shelter of any kind on a private property, it is imperative to make one so you can hide from the elements. It will protect your cooking furniture, stove, grill and more from rain, snow, wind, sun and dust.

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Expansion indoors

A comfortable living room, complemented by an outdoor cooking area, and the interior style can be directed to the yard or terrace, become an extension, as we noted above. Glass walls and large windows will emphasize this effect, fill it with aesthetic aspects.

Fire, light and action

As always, lighting is the main, key element that will enhance the appeal of the kitchen. Since most parties start exactly at sunset and continue until late at night, it’s important to choose the perfect light.

It should be an accent for some structural features, in short, what you want to highlight. You could also turn on an electric fireplace with a flame effect, or better yet, throw some wood in a real one, and the evening will be a glorious one!